URL Shortener API

A powerful and efficient URL shortening service built with Go, Fiber, and Redis. This API allows users to create, manage, and track shortened URLs with rate limiting and IP-based user management.

Features

• ✅ Shorten URLs - Create short, custom URLs
• ✅ Custom Short Codes - Use your own custom identifiers
• ✅ List All URLs - View all URLs created by your IP
• ✅ Get URL Details - Fetch detailed information about specific shortened URLs
• ✅ Delete URLs - Remove URLs you created
• ✅ Auto Expiry - URLs automatically expire after set time (default 24 hours)
• ✅ Rate Limiting - Prevent API abuse with IP-based rate limiting
• ✅ URL Validation - Ensures only valid URLs are shortened
• ✅ Docker Support - Easy deployment with Docker Compose

Tech Stack

• Backend: Go (Golang)
• Framework: Fiber v2
• Database: Redis
• Containerization: Docker & Docker Compose
• Validation: govalidator

Prerequisites

• Docker & Docker Compose installed
• Go 1.23+ (for local development)
• Redis (handled by Docker)

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Bavithbabu/URL-shortner.git
cd URL-shortner

2. Create environment file

Create a .env file in the api directory:

DB_ADDR=db:6379
DB_PASS=
APP_PORT=:3000
DOMAIN=http://localhost:3000
API_QUOTA=10

3. Run with Docker Compose

docker-compose up -d --build

The API will be available at http://localhost:3000

4. Check logs

docker-compose logs -f api

API Endpoints

1. Shorten URL

POST /api/v1

Create a shortened URL.

Request Body:

{
    "url": "https://www.example.com",
    "short": "custom",
    "expiry": 24
}

Parameters:

• url (required): The original URL to shorten
• short (optional): Custom short code (auto-generated if not provided)
• expiry (optional): Expiry time in hours (default: 24)

Response:

{
    "url": "https://www.example.com",
    "short": "http://localhost:3000/custom",
    "expiry": 24,
    "rate_limit": 9,
    "rate_limit_reset": 30
}

---

2. List All URLs

GET /api/v1/urls

Get all URLs created by your IP address.

Response:

{
    "count": 2,
    "urls": [
        {
            "original_url": "https://www.example.com",
            "short_code": "custom",
            "short_url": "http://localhost:3000/custom",
            "created_at": "2025-12-13 15:30:45",
            "expires_in": "86400 seconds"
        }
    ]
}

---

3. Get URL Details

GET /api/v1/url/:shortcode

Get detailed information about a specific shortened URL.

Example: GET /api/v1/url/custom

Response:

{
    "original_url": "https://www.example.com",
    "short_code": "custom",
    "short_url": "http://localhost:3000/custom",
    "created_by": "172.18.0.1",
    "created_at": "2025-12-13 15:30:45",
    "expires_in": "86400 seconds"
}

---

4. Delete URL

DELETE /api/v1/url/:shortcode

Delete a shortened URL (only if you created it).

Example: DELETE /api/v1/url/custom

Response:

{
    "message": "URL deleted successfully",
    "deleted": "custom"
}

Error (unauthorized):

{
    "error": "You are not authorized to delete this URL"
}

---

5. Redirect to Original URL

GET /:shortcode

Redirects to the original URL.

Example: GET /custom → Redirects to https://www.example.com

Rate Limiting

• Default Quota: 10 requests per IP
• Reset Time: 30 minutes
• Rate limit info included in response headers

Project Structure

URL-shortner/
├── api/
│   ├── database/
│   │   └── database.go          # Redis connection
│   ├── helpers/
│   │   └── helpers.go           # URL validation helpers
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── shorten.go          # Shorten URL endpoint
│   │   ├── resolve.go          # Redirect endpoint
│   │   ├── list.go             # List URLs endpoint
│   │   ├── geturl.go           # Get URL details endpoint
│   │   └── delete.go           # Delete URL endpoint
│   ├── main.go                 # Application entry point
│   ├── Dockerfile              # Docker config for API
│   ├── go.mod                  # Go dependencies
│   └── .env                    # Environment variables
├── db/
│   └── Dockerfile              # Docker config for Redis
├── docker-compose.yml          # Docker Compose configuration
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Features to Add (Future)

• User authentication (JWT)
• Click/visit analytics
• URL preview before redirect
• QR code generation
• Bulk URL shortening
• Custom domains
• API key authentication

Author

Bavithbabu

• GitHub: @Bavithbabu

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome!

1. Fork the project
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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